BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 893,366
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 21Apr2025
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Pope Francis Passes Away / IDF Investigates Gaza Medics Death / China Warns Countries to Not Deal With USA / Klaus Schwab Resigns / Boston Celebrates Revere Ride / FSU Shooting Kills 2 / Russian Trade Mostly Rubles / Circle Targets Remittances / Dollar Down, Futures Down, Gold, Bitcoin Up / North Korean Hackers Move Assets Into Bitcoin / NASAs Oldest Astronaut Returns to Earth / Swiss Supermarket Takes Bitcoin
Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $86,955, 25.57 oz Gold, .20 Median US House
24hr Hi: $87,774 / Lo: $83,976
Vol: $27B (Up 81%)
Mkt Cap: $1.72T (Up 3%)
HashRate: 863 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 5 sats/vBtye (Up 150%)
---Reports---
-International Events-
1. Pope Francis, voice for the poor who transformed the Catholic Church, dies on Easter Monday: Pope Francis, a voice for the poor who overcame fierce resistance to reshape the Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, the Vatican announced. The pope passed away the morning after the holiest day in the Christian year, when the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (CNN)
2. 'Professional failures' led to killing of Gaza medics, IDF inquiry says: Fourteen emergency workers and a UN worker were killed on 23 March after a convoy of PRCS ambulances, a UN car and a fire truck came under fire by the Israeli military. In a statement, the IDF said its troops opened fire believing they were facing a threat from enemy forces. (BBC)
3. China warns countries against making trade deals with the US unfavorable to Beijing: Governments including those of Taiwan, Japan and South Korea have begun negotiations with Washington after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs against almost all of America’s trading partners on April 2. “China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement. “If this happens, China will never accept it and will resolutely take countermeasures in a reciprocal manner. China is determined and capable of safeguarding its own rights and interests.” (AP) (AC-The tariff war continues to escalate.)
4. Klaus Schwab Resigns from World Economic Forum: Klaus Schwab, the founder and long-time chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has resigned from his position with immediate effect after 55 years. The WEF has appointed Peter Brabeck-Letmathe as interim Chairman to ensure leadership continuity while a search for a permanent successor is conducted. (X)
-US Events-
1. Boston Celebrates 250th Anniversary of Paul Revere’s Ride with Warning ‘Tyranny Is at Our Door’: Crowds gathered in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday evening to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s midnight ride to warn that British troops were approaching. (Breitbart)
2. FSU Suspected Shooter Son Of Sheriff's Deputy: A suspected gunman is in custody after an active shooter was reported Thursday at the university. The suspect has been identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, who currently attends FSU and is the son of a sheriff's deputy. It is reported that he killed two people and injured at least six others. (IBTimes)
-Regulatory and Legal-
NSTR
-CBDCs/World Currencies/Strategic Reserves-
1. Russia Reaches Historic Milestone by Paying for Over Half of Its Imports in Rubles: According to the Central Bank of Russia, 53.5% of all imports to the country were paid for with Russian rubles in February, marking a historic record. Currencies from unfriendly countries, including the U.S. dollar, accounted for only 17.2%, representing a success for a nation facing unilateral sanctions from the U.S. government. (BitcoinCom)
2. Circle to Launch New Payments Network Targeting Remittances: Circle, known for the USDC stablecoin, is launching a new payments network targeting remittances to compete with Mastercard and Visa. The firm's CEO will unveil the vision at an event in New York City, aiming to solidify its position in the evolving stablecoin space. (CoinDesk) (AC-The global remittance flows are approximately $900B last year with digital currencies capturing between $27 to $121B of that flow.)
-Institutional Concerns-
NSTR
-Economic Indicators-
1. Dollar Crashes On Powell Removal Speculation, Gold Soars To All Time High And Bitcoin Suddenly Spikes: The plunge in the dollar is just what the admin quietly wants (they have repeatedly stated they want a strong dollar "in the long term", but certainly not in the short, when the collapse in the greenback will boost US exports). Gold which is storming to new record highs this evening, spiking above $3,373. This suggests that with gold approaching ridiculous prices, the next flight to safety away from the collapsing dollar will be bitcoin - after all, it's only a matter of time before all other central banks unleash a money printing frenzy to hammer their own currencies. (ZeroHedge)
2. US Futures Point to Losses at the Open: US stock futures fell about 1% on Monday, with contracts on the major indexes pointing lower as traders returned from the long weekend to renewed concerns over the Federal Reserve’s independence. (TradingEconomics)
-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. North Korean Hackers Converted 84% of Stolen Bybit ETH to Bitcoin: North Korea's Lazarus Group stole $1.4 billion from Bybit; 68.6% remains traceable while hackers laundered funds through mixers and swaps. (Blockonomi)
-Technology and Science-
1. NASA's oldest active astronaut returns to Earth on 70th birthday: Astronaut Don Pettit became a septuagenarian while hurtling toward Earth in a spacecraft to wrap up a seven-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). (PhysOrg)
-Bitcoin Community-
1. Swiss Supermarket SPAR Begins Accepting Bitcoin: SPAR in Zug, Switzerland now accepts Bitcoin payments using the Lightning Network, facilitated by DFX Swiss's OpenCryptoPay solution. This move aligns with Switzerland's progressive stance on Bitcoin adoption, with cities like Zug and Lugano leading the way in integrating cryptocurrency into daily transactions. (BItcoinMag)
-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 39/100 (Up 8 pts)
Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR
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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report